Synonyms of made-upnext
1
: fully manufactured
2
: marked by the use of makeup
3
: fancifully conceived or falsely devised

Examples of made-up in a Sentence

the bogeyman was one of those made-up monsters whose sole purpose was to threaten children
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Perfectly made-up, everything in place. Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2026 Parts would be missing, or made-up. Kevin Brazil, Harpers Magazine, 9 June 2026 The photos that flooded the internet amidst the Jenner-Levine hype featured Jenner in Paris (not her surgeon’s NYC office), professionally made-up, often wearing large sunglasses, and often filtered. Jolene Edgar, Allure, 17 Apr. 2026 That story was 100 percent insane and made-up, and not a word of it is true. Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026 And there's not one right way to do it, considering the holiday is made-up and the real thing is just around the corner. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Nov. 2025 And while OpenAI’s defenders could chalk that up to an isolated or even made-up incident, within 24 hours of the GPT-5 launch Altman was doing damage control, seemingly caught of guard by the bad reception. Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025 The irony is that it is accepted that the tabloids found in the grocery store checkout aisle are often made-up or greatly exaggerated. Peter Suciu, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1725, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of made-up was in 1725

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Made-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/made-up. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

made-up

adjective
ˈmā-ˈdəp
1
: created from the imagination
a made-up story
2
: marked by the use of makeup
made-up eyelids

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